Race of The Heart
by Emerald Night
Summary: The track is Kagome's solace where she races to win...but soon she finds herself wrapped up in a totally different race...one of the heart...two impossibly beautiful brothers...who will win?
1. A New School

**A New School**

Kagome watched the students rush past her as the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class.

_It's so big_ she thought absently as she took in the sight that was her new high school.  There were no endless halls with doorways, everything was outside, out in the open and spread out.  The high school seemed better suited as a University with its impeccable lawns and large buildings.  She had a bad feeling about this already; she just knew she was going to get lost.

Tightening the straps on her backpack determinedly, Kagome headed off towards the building that read ADMINISTRATION in bold, black letters.   She clutched her packet of registration papers close to her chest, surely that was the building she was supposed to go to.  She hoped so, there were at least a dozen other buildings that made up the school and it would probably take her half the day to make the trip to each one.

Coming up on the building, Kagome pushed open the glass doors and walked up to the front desk.  Spying an elderly lady bent over some papers Kagome walked up to her.

"Excuse me, where do I go to get my class schedule, I'm a new student."

The old woman glanced up from her paperwork and gave Kagome a warm smile.

"Go down that hallway" she replied, pointing to her left "the first door on the right is Principal's office, she will give you everything you need."

"Thank you."  Kagome started in the direction the secretary had pointed her in, a feeling of apprehension taking over her body, she was nervous about starting at a new school

"Good luck!" she heard the receptionist yell at her as she walked away.

"Thanks" Kagome yelled back, she was going to need it.  Finding the office the secretary had steered her to Kagome stopped and stood outside, unsure what she should do.  The door was open, revealing a woman sitting behind a desk on the phone.

_Should I go in?_ Kagome thought _or should I wait outside?_  Her question was answered when the woman glanced over and saw her standing there.  With a wave of her hand she motioned for Kagome to come in and sit down.  

Setting her backpack on the floor, Kagome sat in one of the chairs that faced the desk and patiently waited for the woman, who she assumed was the Principal, to get off the phone.  The woman said goodbye to whomever it was she was talking to, hung up the phone, and turned to her.  Kagome barely restrained her gasp of surprise.

The woman had a patch over her right eye.  A thousand questions ran through Kagome's mind at the sight.  _How had she lost her eye?  How long had she had to wear a patch? Did it hurt?_

The woman was clearly used to such a reaction because she merely smiled at Kagome's wide eyed stare.

"I am Principal Kaede, you must be Kagome Higurashi, our new student."  At the sound of the woman's voice Kagome snapped out of her trance, her cheeks turning a bright red as she realized that she had been blatantly staring at her _Principal's eye patch._

"Ye-ye-yes, I am Kagome Higurashi" she managed to stammer, what must her Principal think of her now?  

"It's ok, I get it all the time" Principal Kaede said as she looked at the horrified expression her new student wore.

Kagome could only nod dumbly at her Principal's comment.  She suddenly wished that she could just disappear; her day was not starting off well.

"I have your class schedule here.  I will walk you to your first class, you can leave you registration forms on my desk."  Principal Kaede said, as she stood up with a sheet of paper in her hand.

Kagome stood up, put on her back pack, left the papers on the desk and followed her Principal out of her office, down the hall, and out the glass doors she had come into.

"You'll find that each building is devoted to one subject, for example your first class, Spanish, is in class FL 1.  FL stands for Foreign Language and it is written on the building.  Then there is the Math building, Science, Social Science, English, and Physical Education, where the gym is located.  Your classes should be fairly easy to find."  She finished as they stopped in front of her fist class.

Kagome nodded.  _Math classes are in the math building, English classes in the English building.  This shouldn't be too hard._

"Here is your fist class; your teacher's name is Seniorita Gonzalez.  If you have any questions you know where my office is."  And with that she handed Kagome her class schedule and walked away, leaving her standing in front of the classroom.

"Here goes nothing" Kagome mumbled as she turned the door knob and walked into the classroom.

As she stepped into the room, the eyes of 30 students flew to her, curious about the interruption.  The teacher, a slim woman with long brown hair, walked up to her.

"May I help you?"

"I'm a new student, this is my first class" Kagome told the woman, handing her the class schedule she held in her hand.  The teacher glanced over the paper and nodded.

"All right, why don't you sit over there" she said, pointing to an empty seat towards the back of the room.

Kagome walked towards the empty seat, she felt the heat of embarrassment wash over her as the students of the classroom followed her progress.  The minute she sat down the teacher resumed class and Kagome let out the breath she had been holding.  _At least I didn't fall_ she thought, silently thanking whoever saved her from such a humiliation.

Hearing the words _lapiz_ and _cuaderno_ Kagome hurriedly took out her notebook and pencil, ready to take notes.  In her hurry Kagome dropped her pencil on the floor.  Reaching down to grab the object that was rolling away from her, she was surprised when another hand, a masculine hand grabbed the pencil before she could.  Raising her head up she was met with a pair of golden eyes.  The boy silently handed her the pencil and turned his attention back to the front of the class when the teacher called his name.

"Inu Yasha, como se dice in espanol, church?"

"La iglesia" Came the reply of the boy who sat next her.  The gruff and impatient tone of his voice seemed to fit his rugged appearance.  

He had silver hair, if she had not first seen his remarkable eyes; the color of his hair would have been the first thing she noticed. She had never seen anything like it before, the boy, Inu Yasha she recalled the teacher calling him, was truly striking.  _Silver hair and golden eyes, who wouldn't be with features like that? _

Kagome was jarred from her thoughts as the bell rang and the students around her began packing up their things.  Zipping up her backpack, Kagome turned to the boy next to her.

"My name is Kagome Higurashi." She said cheerily, extending her hand in greeting.

The boy merely glanced at her hand as he continued to put away his notebook.

Kagome stared dumbfounded at the silver haired boy as he ignored her.  _What a jerk! She yelled in her head.  She was new, she was just trying to meet people and this boy was being a complete jackass._

"It's rude to ignore people you jerk!  Who the heck do you think you are!"  She fumed as she slammed her hands on his desk in anger.  Her words and her action brought his head up, shock clearly lighting his eyes.  Around them the other students had stopped talking and had all turned to look at the girl who had yelled at Inu Yasha.

Kagome inwardly groaned, she got the distinct feeling that she had just done something really really bad.  Her suspicion was confirmed when the boy finally opened his mouth and spoke to her.

"I'm Inu Yasha, and I am one of the most popular students in this school." He replied, laughing at her "and you" he continued, an evil smile touching his face, "just committed social suicide."  With that he walked away from her as a roar of laughter erupted from those who had been watching.

Kagome whirled around to face the laughing faces of her fellow classmates

"Stupid girl."

"Didn't she know who she was talking to?"

"No one will talk to her now."

She heard them say as she walked out of the classroom, her head held high.  She would not let these people get to her.  Once out of the room she ran to the bathroom, locking her self in one of the empty stalls.

"I love Inu Yasha" was scrawled across the door and the walls of the stall.  _Great, I just yelled at the guy all the girls are in love with._

Putting down the lid, Kagome sat on the toilet and let out a sigh.  This was definitely not her day.

~~~

"Mom I'm home!"  Kagome yelled as she closed the door behind her.

"How was school" Her mom asked as she walked out of the kitchen.

"It was great!" Kagome replied with a false smile.  _It sucked._

"I'm going to get a head start on my homework, call me when dinner is ready."   She walked up the stairs and into her room, collapsing on her bed.  _What a day_ she thought.  Fate must hate her.  As she continued her day she discovered that Inu Yasha was in all of her classes.  So every class had started the same, an amused look from the boy she had yelled at and the laughs and taunts of the students in her class who had heard about her little scene in the morning.

She had discovered a couple of other things as well.  Sitting on the grass under the statue of a wolf, her new school's mascot, she had overheard some girls arguing over two guys.  Apparently they were in disagreement as to who was the "cutest."

"Inu Yasha is cuter, he is so rugged, he's like those cowboys in the westerns" One girl had said dreamily.

"No way!  Sesshoumaru is totally the hottest; I'd give anything to know what he hides behind that beautiful face of his."  The other said, on a sigh.

So Kagome had learned that there were two guys in the school that every girl drooled over, although she had yet to see the other one, Sesshoumaru, he was a year older than her and, from what she heard, he had a tendency to avoid crowds.  No doubt he had his own fan club of screaming girls dying to follow him around as she had seen a group do with Inu Yasha doing their lunch break.

_Really_ she thought_ those girls must have no life, who would want to chase around a rude and egotistical jerk like that anyways?!  _

Hearing her mother call her for dinner, Kagome pushed the day's events out of her head.  Tomorrow would be a better day because tomorrow would be her first day on the track team.  She was looking forward to it, she had been on the Varsity team at her old high school before her family had moved.  She missed the practices and she missed the meets.  

She needed something to take her mind off being at a new school; she had no doubt that she could make the Varsity team here as well.

Whistling as she went to the stairs and into the dining room Kagome smiled, tomorrow would be a better day.

~~~

He wasn't sure how he gotten into this situation.  Something about the new girl being too advanced for the rest of the girls and needing her own coach.  How he got roped into doing he had no idea, but here he was, watching as the girl stretched and loosened the muscles in her legs, preparing to get into the starting blocks.

_What had his coach called her?_ He thought as he racked his brain for her name.  _Ah yes…Kagome._

Sesshoumaru looked at the new girl, Kagome, as she stood patiently behind her blocks, waiting for his signal.  

"On your mark" he said.  He watched her bend down and place her hands on the dirt behind the starting line.  She backed each foot into the blocks, raising herself up once before setting into the starting position.  She lowered her head and stilled her body, waiting for his next command. 

"Set" she raised herself up on the tips of her fingers, her head still down and her body still in anticipation.  He pulled the trigger of the gun and watched as she shot out of the blocks with the loud bang.

_She has good form_ he absently thought.  Her head stayed down for about 30 meters before she finally completely straightened herself out.  Her arms bent at 90 degree angles, never passing the height of her chin nor crossing the invisible line that ran down the center of her body.  She kept her head straight and her eyes focused not on the finish line, as so many amateur sprinters tended to do, but on a n invisible object past it.  She crossed the finish line, her body stretched across it as if she were racing against another sprinter.  He stopped the timer and glanced at the time. 

12.8 seconds.  She was fast.  He looked at the girl who stood just beyond the finish line, panting and desperately trying to catch her breath.  He had sorely misjudged her.

When his coach had introduced the girl to him saying that she would become his first trainee he had to resist the urge snort.  Firs of all he, Sesshoumaru, never made such an undignified sound, and second, surely it had been a joke.  The girl before him could not possibly be good enough for him to train.

She was short, 5'4, not even reaching his shoulder.  She had long dark, midnight black hair that she had put up in a ponytail.  Wide eyes and the innocent face of a child, there was no way she was strong enough or fast enough to be the sprinter his coach had claimed her to be.

But he had been wrong..  The moment she stepped into the blocks her whole demeanor had changed.  She got into the blocks with an ease that spoke of experience.  Walking back to the starting line he measured the distance from the block her back foot had rested on to the indentation on the track that marked her first step.  She was powerful, the distance a good foot in length.  

She was good, but she could use some work.

With that he walked up to the girl, placing the stop watch over his head to hand around his neck he looked at her.

"12.8, not bad.  Your form could use some work, you arms tend to drop and your knees aren't coming up high enough." He said flatly.  He could see the light of indignation in the girl's eyes.  Clearly she was not used to criticism; no doubt her previous coach had only praised her.  He however did not praise, besides, he wasn't lying, she did need work if she ever wanted to become faster.

"Go get a drink of water and come back here.  Today we will start off with a latter, 100 meter sprint, then 200, 300, and 400.  We won't go back down since this is your first day of practice.

The girl shot him a murderous look but she reluctantly jogged over to her bag and pulled out a water bottle.

Walking over the spot on the track they would start, he overheard a couple of the younger girls talking nearby him.  They were talking about his idiotic half brother, Inu Yasha.  Normally he would have ignored such inane gossip but the mention of a name caught his attention.

"Did you hear about that girl who yelled at Inu Yasha the other morning?  Apparently she called him a jerk in front of the entire 1st period Spanish class!  Can you believe it!  Someone talking to Inu Yasha that way!  What was her name?  Kagome or something?  She better not expect to have any friends after that little stunt."  The girl finished relating the story to her friend and they both started laughing at the social disaster Kagome had created for herself.

Sesshoumaru smiled, inwardly of course, he didn't like expressing emotions in public.  _So it was her he thought.  His brother had come yesterday furious and ranting about some girl who had dared to yell at him.  Sesshoumaru personally thought that whoever she was she seemed to possess more common sense than the rest of the brainless girls at the school._

 The girl in question stood before him, shaking her arms and jumping up and down warming her muscles, getting ready to start her workout.

"Run at 80%" he told her.  Nodding her head she pushed off and sprinted down the track.

"Raise your knees!" he shouted at her, silently approving of the fact that she automatically did.  

This girl, Kagome, was proving to be an interesting creature.


	2. Cold Beauty

**Cold Beauty**

Kagome lay exhausted on the track, her arms crossed over her eyes to block out the piercing brightness of the sun.  The breeze cooled her heated skin; it had been a hot day and a very hard work out.

_Sesshoumaru is going to be the death of me._  She silently thought.  It was true.  He pushed her hard, harder than any of her previous coaches.  But she was getting faster, she was becoming stronger and she knew it was all because of him.

She remembered the first day she had met him.  She had shown up for the Track and Field auditions, not try-outs because everyone who came out made the team.  They were auditions where the coaches tested each runner in various events to see where they would best fit.  The head coach of the girl team, Coach Suzuki, had determined that she too far advanced to practice with the rest of the Varsity girls' team and that she would become the sole trainee of the boys Varsity assistant coach.  At first she had been slightly worried that her new coach was merely a student, only a year older than herself she had been told.  But Coach Suzuki had assured her that he was more than qualified.

So she had been more than ecstatic that she had made the Varsity team and had found a place where she belonged in the new high school, a place where she could excel, a place where she was judged not by her popularity but by her talent and her skill.  She had been ecstatic until she had met him.

She had visibly paled when Coach Suzuki introduced her to the beautiful creature who was to become her coach.  A long, hard, and lean body, a runner's body, magnetic golden eyes and silver hair that was hauntingly familiar.

Sesshoumaru, the Coach had said.  Her new coach just had to be the other most popular guy in the school; he just had to be the brother, _or was it half-brother? of the one person responsible for her misery.  But there was something different about him, she recalled.  Something about the calmness of his face, a stoic mask that refused to show emotion.  There was something about the way he stood, silent and unmoving, power and strength radiating from his being.  There was something about the coldness of his eyes that suggested a deep pain, a deep sorrow.  This boy, this man, seemed to carry an air of maturity and understanding that belied his relatively young age.  He was nothing like the immature and obnoxious Inu Yasha who plagued her daily.  No, Sesshoumaru was different, she was sure of it, she was sure of it even before he opened his mouth to speak._

She had seen the way he looked at her as they were introduced; she had seen the look of disbelief flash in his eyes.  He didn't believe that she was as skilled as Coach Suzuki said.  She had seen that look many times, people often made the mistake of underestimating her, of misjudging her.  She remembered the secret thrill that swept through her body when he looked up from the stop watch, clearly surprised by the time she had given.

And then he had opened his mouth, the deep and softly masculine tone that sent shivers up her spine.  He had criticized her, had critiqued her form and then calmly sent her off to do a hellish workout on her first day of practice.  It had only taken those few sentences for the beautiful image she had conjured of him to shatter.  Indeed, he may have been almost the complete opposite of his younger half brother, but they both shared one common trait.  Arrogance.

But she had done what she was told, and for a month he continued to criticize her, her knees weren't high enough, her head not straight enough, she wasn't pushing hard enough.  There was always something wrong, he wanted perfection, demanded it and she was valiantly trying to deliver it, but she always fell short.

As much as she hated the inhuman demands he placed on her, she couldn't help but thank him, silently of course.  She had shaved a good four-tenths of a second off of her time in practice, and she had done it in an extraordinarily short amount of time.  She was ready for the meet in two days, the teams first official one of the season, she was ready and she was determined to show Sesshoumaru just what she was capable of, but right now she was exhausted.

"Stop being lazy Kagome and finish your cool down."  She heard him say as a large shadow fell over her.  He just had to interrupt her few moments of relaxation.

Kagome sat up and cast a furious glance up at the man who stood above her.  "You try running 3 400's, 3 300's, and 3 200's in this heat." She yelled in exasperation.  "Then you can tell me that I am being lazy Sess-hou-maru." She ended, emphasizing each syllable of his name.  She smirked, he hated it when she did that.

He raised one elegant eyebrow at her statement and merely stared at her.

"I know, I know" She mumbled under her breath as she stood up and took off in a slow jog around the track.  Her challenge had been completely pointless, she knew that.  Sesshoumaru worked harder than any runner she knew.  He was constantly training, constantly improving his technique, always studying and watching the best sprinters in the world, learning whatever he could from them.  Sesshoumaru was a man truly dedicated to the sport.  She was truly grateful that he even had the time to train her, but that didn't mean that she had enjoy his company or put up with his attitude.

Finishing the lap around the track, Kagome stopped beside her bag, and began the long process of stretching.  She bent over and grabbed her foot, ignoring the pain in her calves and the whistles and jeers that came from the boys stretching behind her.

_Really_ she thought _some people just need to grow up._

She was momentarily distracted by the sight of Sesshoumaru standing in front of a set of starting blocks.  Turning slightly so that she could see him better, Kagome continued with the pretext of stretching, but she was really watching him.

He was in the blocks now, head down, body still and poised on his finger tips, silently anticipating the crack of the gun.  With a bang he leapt into action; the grace and power of his movements propelling him out of the blocks and down the track.  His arms pumped furiously, in a steady rhythm, his eyes and his concentration fixated on only one thing, winning.  The desire to win was evident in every move he made, every step he took, though he raced alone he still raced as if there was someone in the lane next to him.  She has thought he was beautiful before, but watching him run, it always left her breathless.  She wasn't the only one.  Whenever Sesshoumaru took the track, everything stopped.  It was if everyone knew that talent like his was rare and all stopped to watch him in awe and envy.

The moment he crossed the finish line she turned away, she refused to be caught staring like the other members of the track team, so she went back to stretching, pretending as if she didn't care.

Finally finishing her routine, Kagome put on a pair of sweats, picked up her bag, and walked over to Sesshoumaru, who was now also cooling down.

"I'm leaving Sesshoumaru."

"Tomorrow is a pre-meet day, no work out."  He told her without looking up as he pulled his knee up to his chest.

Kagome's initial joy at the thought of n o work out was immediately destroyed by the words that came out his mouth next.

"But I want to work on your block work, you still aren't getting it right and the meet is only two days away.  It would be extremely embarrassing for me if you fell on your face."  He said, still not looking at her.

Kagome's hands balled into fists at her sides as a hot wave of fury swept through her.  Everything was always about him.  How she would embarrass_ him_ if she didn't perform well.  Couldn't he ever say anything that was halfway nice pr encouraging?  He couldn't even give her the day off to relax and prepare for her first meet, one that she was very nervous about.  Didn't he know how much she prayed that she would do well?  How much she hoped she would not screw up?  Didn't he know how much she feared failing at the one thing she loved the most?  No, instead he only cared about himself and what it would like for him if she failed.

"Embarrassing for you Sesshoumaru?  You aren't the one running I am, so why don't you just focus on your own damn race and hope that you don't fall on _your face!"  She yelled, her angry outburst finally making him raise his head to look at her.  _

As she stood there, her chest rapidly rising and falling with fury, he calmly stood up and picked up his own bag and started walking off the track, completely ignoring the indignation of the girl behind him.

"I'll see you here tomorrow, Kagome" he shouted over his shoulder before disappearing completely.

Tempted to chase after him and pound that beautiful face until that cold mask of his cracked, Kagome whirled around and stalked off in the opposite direction.  She was too furious to notice the solitary figure that watched her fuming and heated departure.  She was too busy mumbling insults to see the slight curve of the lips of the man who had not smiled in a long time.

**Review Responses:**

**Serpent Rain:  **I am also a runner which is why I was inspired to write a fanfic surrounding track….A Sess/Kag fic…….hmmmmmmm….thank you for reading!!  Enjoy the new chapter! J

**Silver Blue-eyes:**  Yes Inu Yasha is a jerk!  I'm glad you like the way I portrayed Sesshoumaru!  Please keep reading! J


	3. Victory And A Secret Admirer

**Victory And A Secret Admirer **

The soft and melodious tones of Pachabel's Cannon in D filled his ears, providing a relaxing and soothing environment in the midst of the chaos that surrounded him.

Track meets were social events in which runners would do anything to fill the time.  Meets were long and drawn out events, a runner's races usually spread out across three or more hours.

As he walked across the field in the middle of the track, headphones discouraging anyone from talking to him, he took in the familiar sights that constituted a track meet.

Groups of runners warming up and stretching on the infield, jumpers finding their marks on the runway, officials setting up starting blocks and pounding them into the ground, relay teams testing their timing one last time, and coaches running furiously around with a stop watch desperately timing their runners.  This was the chaos and confusion that was track, it was his home.

He had been attracted to the sport because of the individual nature of it.  It was not a team sport, excluding the relay's he never ran on of course.  The idea that victory was achieved by the strength and merit of one held great appeal for him.  He did not like to rely on others, if he failed he could only blame himself and if he succeeded he had done so on his own.  The fruits of victory and the spoils, they all fell to one.

In track he did not have to deal with the inferiority of others.  He loved this sport and its solitary nature that very much reflected his own.

His eyes darted across the field until they landed on a dark haired figure at the edge of the track.  She was lying down with her hands across her face much as she had done two days before.  With a pair of headphones on she was immersed in her own world and oblivious to the noise surrounding her, just as he was.

He walked towards her, silently approving of the fact that she seemed to be concentrating on the race ahead rather than socializing.  He glanced at the discarded CD case that lay by her side.  The Phantom of The Opera, he inwardly smirked.  At least she had taste in music.  He had half expected to find her listening to the ever annoying pop idols that were so popular with high school girls.

She was nervous; he knew that, he had seen it flash in her eyes that day.  He had intentionally made her angry.  Not that it was hard to irritate her, it was amusingly easy and he found himself enjoying the ability to annoy her.  By making her angry he had distracted her from the worry that clouded her mind.  Not that he cared if she was worried, no, he just wanted to make sure she was not distracted.  He wanted to her to perform at her best because it would reflect well on him.  At least that is what he told himself.

He sat down next to her and none too gently pushed her.  He fought the urge to smile when she jolted into a sitting position that sent her discman flying the air.  She also was an easy person to startle.

"Damnit Sesshoumaru!"  She yelled loud enough for him to hear through the pulsating music in his ears.  "You scared me!" She stated, punching him in the arm.

Slowly taking the headphones out of his ears, Sesshoumaru spared a glance for the angry girl who sat next to him.  His attention absently wandered to the low throb of pain her punch had created.  She was stronger than she looked.

"Have you checked in yet?" He questioned.  She was running the 100 meter sprint; the race was due to start in 15 minutes.

"Of course I have, you forget that I have done this before."  She was more than a little irritated now and he watched as she stood up and began her last minute stretches.

"What lane are you in?"

"Lane 5." She replied as she began doing lunges.

_Good_.  He thought to himself.  Lane 5 was the fastest lane on the track reserved for the fastest runner in the heat.  He knew Kagome was faster than the other girls she would be running against, he had no doubt she would win, of course he didn't tell her that.

He had reluctantly acknowledged that she deserved his respect.  Over the past month he had done everything in his power to break her, to push her beyond her limits and to make her quit.  Impossibly demanding workouts, constant critiques and long hours, through all of this she persevered.  She never complained, at least not out loud.  She ran the workouts and took his criticism, making herself stronger and faster in the process.

Watching as she struggled to bring her leg closer to her chest as she lay on the track, he walked over to her and grabbed her foot.  He pushed it forward until he felt the resistance of her muscles and saw the brief flash of pain in her eyes.  He knew how important it was to have loosen the hamstring before a race, injuring that one muscle would mean the end of her season.  

Having held her leg in that position for a sufficient amount of time he dropped her foot and quickly grabbed the other on to repeat the same process.  He continued stretching her muscles, moving next to her calves, then to her quads, and eventually her arms.

Everywhere his hand touched he could feel the warmth of her skin, the silky softness of it left bare by the miniscule track uniform she wore.  This was not the reason he was helping her.  No, he was just making sure she stretched correctly and the best way to do that was to do it himself.

But as he continued his ministrations he felt something stir within him, a strange pulsing in his blood as some unidentified feeling began to well up inside.

He didn't know what it was, but, as he looked down into the face of the girl under his hands, he didn't like it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome stood silently on the track behind the line of Junior Varsity boys.  She watched them get into their blocks and slightly jumped at the sound of the gun.

She was next.

As soon as the boy in front of her vacated his blocks, Kagome stepped in, measured the distance from the start line to each block, and placed each one in the appropriate position.

Taking a few practice starts, Kagome stopped and stood behind the blocks once more, satisfied with their position.  She was ready. 

She didn't even spare a glance to the runners she knew were on either side of her.  She closed her eyes, focused her mind, and tuned out all the noise around her.  At least she tried to.

Her concentration was broken as spots on her body began to tingle, places he had touched.  _Why am I thinking about this now! She screamed in her head.  But she couldn't help it, the feel of his hands on her bare skin had evoked a powerful desire.  He had wonderful hands._

_Stop it! _She told herself.  This was not the time to be daydreaming about her arrogant Coach; she had a race to run.

"Runner's on your mark." The dry and monotonous voice of the official snapped her out of her haze.  Shaking her head to dispel any lingering thoughts of her beautiful Coach, Kagome stepped into her blocks and forced every muscle in her body to relax.

"Set."  She raised herself up, balancing her weight on her fingertips as she leaned over the line.

Bang!  At the crack of the gun she was out of the blocks, her feet digging into the ground and pushing her out.  The sound of feet furiously pounding the dirt behind her pushed her on and reminded her that she was not racing alone.

_Faster, Faster_ Her mind screamed.  Her body seemed to comply with the silent demand as her arms pumped faster, her legs moved faster.  Kagome gritted her teeth as she fought to find more strength.  She had to win.

She could see the finish line as well the vague outlines of the runners at her side.  She focused all of her concentration on an object just beyond the finish line.  He stood there, unmoving, watching her with a stop watch in her hand; the brilliant amber of his eyes challenging her, demanding her to go faster.

Keeping her eyes on his face she coaxed the last of her strength out of her legs as she sprinted across the line, she was strong finisher and her last minute acceleration left her opponents in the dust.

She felt the thrill of victory and heard the loud eruption of cheers as her concentration slowly broke and she tuned back into the world around her.  But she didn't smile, she didn't laugh in joy or hug her teammates.  Instead she continued running, slowing down with each step until she came to a stop in front of him.

Putting her hands on her hips, Kagome struggled to catch her breath as she waited for him to speak.

"12.3" He said matter-of-factly "You did well."  Only then did Kagome allow herself to sink to the ground in exhaustion, her muscles burned, she had pushed herself hard.  He regally extended a hand to her, a silent offer of aid.  She grasped it and allowed herself to be pulled up and dragged to the field.  Letting go of her hand he let her drop to the ground once more.

"Stretch" was all said before he walked off to prepare for his own race.

Kagome silently began stretching the muscles that were beginning to cramp from the sudden stop of movement. 

Kagome silently began stretching the muscles that were beginning to cramp from the sudden stop of movement. 

'_You did well' _His small compliment echoed in her mind.  It was the first time he had ever said something positive to her.  With a smile on her face Kagome stood up and went in search of her bag, she had another race to run but she had feeling that today was going to be a good day.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The boy leaned against the metal fence that separated the stands from the track.  He had come out of curiosity, she intrigued him.

It wasn't her beauty that drew him to her, although he would not deny that she indeed was very beautiful.  It was something else, something in her eyes that said she was different, that said she was unique.

Her fiery spirit had first caught his attention, she had dared what no other before her had, she had opposed him, openly.  From that moment he had been rude and mean, but he hadn't wanted to be.

He remembered the first day she walked into his classroom.  Her cheeks had been flushed in embarrassment; everyone had been staring at her.  He had watched her make her way to the empty desk beside his.  He had watched her out of the corner of his eye, pretending to listen to the dull teacher.

He saw the relief cross her face when the students had turned their attention back to the teacher at the front of the room.  There was just something about her.

The she had dropped her pencil.  He had immediately reached down to pick it up; he had handed it to her and was momentarily startled when he was met with her piercing blue eyes.  They were the color of rich sapphires, they were beautiful.  Then she smiled a bright smile that lit up the room and made his heart beat faster.

She had tried to introduce herself; she had offered her hand in a cheerful greeting.  He wanted nothing more than to grasp her hand, to feel the touch of her skin and to make her smile again.  But the whole class was watching him, anxiously waiting for the insult that was bound to come.  This girl was new to the school, she was the lowest of all on the social ladder, and he did not associate with her kind.  So had ignored her, making a sort of compromise, he hadn't wanted to insult the beauty that stood before him, but he didn't want to lose face either.

She had forced him to humiliate her.  She had yelled at him, calling him a jerk.  Such an offense could not be ignored.  With one sentence her exiled her and labeled her as an outcast.

But this did not stop her.  Everyday she faced new insults from him and his many fans, and everyday she retorted with insults of her own.  She was not afraid of him.

Her rare combination of strength and beauty intrigued him.  

That was why he was here, secretly watching her from afar.  Watching her run and seeing the immense talent she possessed only made her more compelling, more attractive to him.

He had watched the little scene with his brother after she had won her race with barely contained rage.  Of all the people she could have had for her Coach it just had to be his half brother.

The animosity between the two was a well known fact, although not many knew why the brothers hated each other so much.  But there was a reason, and it was what, deep down, he knew ultimately drew him to the one he watched now.

Kagome resembled her so much, his lost love.  The similarity was striking; it had blinded him that first day making him remember what he had wished to forget.  He had suppressed the memories immediately and refused to think about the similarity again, and he hadn't, until today.  He had been convinced that he was drawn to the girl because of her own unique qualities, not because of who she resembled.

But he was wrong.  Watching her talk to his half-brother brought the memories alive and evoked long forgotten emotions.

It was happening again.

**Review Responses:  
  
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**wayfarer-redemption****: Thank you!  I updated just for you! J**

**Sesshoumarus-gril****: What pairing is this??? Hmmmm….I keep getting that question….hehehehe….I have yet to decide for sure….but I am leaning towards Sess/Kag **

**Dante Gemini:**  Thank you!  I will be sure to read and review your stories as well!

**stacerue**: **It's good to know that my English classes paid off! J I will of course continue on even if I don't get reviews…once I start something I must finish it!  **

**nuria**: **Thank you!  I will update as soon as I can J  
  
**

**silvershadow: 100 hurdles….I did that for awhile…but I am a sprinter…100, 200, 4X100 relay…fun stuff like that!  Thanks for reading!**

**Kody**** leigh: Well I'm glad you like mine!**

**Volk Zyta: **Yes running is most definitely a beautiful thing!  Thank you for reading! J

**Silver-Blue-eyes: **Geez…everybody wants Sess/Kag….hmmm….maybe I should take the hint!

**girltype**: **I'm glad you like my story and I understand what you are saying…thanks for the advice**

**Sukera****: THANK YOU! J**

**Sae-chan****: Yes I am a runner and I am glad you love my story!**

**Xelena****:  Sess/Kag seems to be what everyone wants…we will see! Thank you for taking the time to review J**


	4. Homecoming Part One

**Homecoming Part One**

"Hey" the masculine voice interrupted her thoughts.  Kagome looked up and groaned.  She did not need this now.

"Can I sit down?" Inu Yasha asked.

"No" was all Kagome said before going back to the book she was reading.  She had been having such a good day.  Yesterday had been the track meet, and she had won all of her races.  She was still floating in the bliss of victory, more than surprised that her fellow classmates had finally deemed her worthy of conversing with.  It seemed her prowess on the track had made her popular.  She didn't really care one way or the other, but it was a nice to go through the day without having people whisper and giggle behind your back.  But here stood the one guy who had started all of her misery in the first place.  Another round with him was the one thing that would kill her good mood.  So she went on reading, intent on ignoring him.

He seemed not to take the hint and sat down anyways.

"What are you reading?"

"A book" She answered, irritation clearing lining her toning.  _Was he stupid_

"I can see that."

Closing her book, she looked into the eyes of the boy who caused her so much trouble.  Whatever game he was playing she wasn't interested.

"What do you want?" She asked pointedly.

"Hey" he said, holding his hands up in defense "I just wanted to talk to you."  He finished, flashing her one of the smiles she was sure he believed melted hearts.

Kagome put her book into her backpack and stood up, "Give me a break, in all the time I have been here you have never wanted to "talk" to me.  So what is it you want?"  She asked, placing her hands on her hips as she stood.  _This had better be good._

"Well…"  He started, his eyes darting about nervously as he fidgeted in his chair.  Something was definitely going on.  But if he couldn't spit out whatever it was he wanted to say than she was leaving.  He was wasting her time.

Kagome turned from the table and began walking out of the library.  She should have known something strange was going on the instant she had seen Inu Yasha walk through the doors.  He was not the type to enter a library unless he was forced to.

"Wait!" She heard behind an instant before she found her arm locked in his hand.  He was certainly strong.  Turning around, Kagome glanced from the hand that held her elbow to the boy who was holding her.  The look was all he needed to realize what he was doing and to let go of her.  Just as she was about to walk away once more, he started speaking.

_Might as well find out what he wants_.

"The homecoming dance is next Saturday, I don't have a date yet and I thought that maybe you would like the privilege of filling that position."

Kagome was stunned at the arrogance of such a question.  As if it would be a "privilege" to go on a date with him, the jackass presumed much.

"You give new meaning to the word egotistical Inu Yasha.  Why don't you try asking a girl out instead of assuming she is in love you, some of us have taste you know."  She finished angrily.  Really, just when she thought the guy couldn't get any worse, all he had to do was open his mouth and prove how wrong she had been.

"You're saying no….to me?"  He asked, clearly shocked.

"Absolutely, I always knew you were smart Inu Yasha."  She said cheerily.  And with that she left the library, leaving behind her a very angry and very embarrassed Inu Yasha.  No one had ever told him no before.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kagome looked at herself in the full length mirror.  She loved the dress.  It was a midnight blue, the same color of her eyes, with silver wisps of glitter that made her sparkle.  The dress was a halter top, leaving a majority of her back bare, and it fell to the middle of her thigh.  She spun around, delighting in the way the dress twirled around her.  

She piled the weight of her hair on her head, letting a few curled tendrils frame her face.  She was determined to have fun tonight, even if she was going alone.

At least she wouldn't be alone when she got there.  Sango would be meeting her there; she too was going to the Homecoming Dance alone.

She had met Sango the first week she had started at the new school.  It seemed Sango had also made the unfortunate mistake of publicly announcing her dislike of Inu Yasha and she had also been exiled from the socialization, just as Kagome had.  

Sango had heard of Kagome's outburst in Spanish class and had sought her out, seemingly happy that someone else in the school had some sense.  

Sliding on a pair of ridiculously high black heels, Kagome grabbed her purse and ran out the door.  She was late.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sesshoumaru sighed as he was asked, for the thousandth time, to dance by some giggling girl who fancied herself in love with him.  Really, these dances were so tiring.  He would never have come except he had, unfortunately, been nominated for Homecoming King, along with his half-brother.  Such a thing demanded his attendance only because he wished to beat Inu Yasha; he would like to be here when he won so he could hold it over his head.

But as the night wore on he found himself itching to leave.  He desperately hoped they would announce the winner. The music was tedious, the girls annoying, and the decorations pathetic.  He was above such juvenile things.  But his strong compulsion to win was a hard thing to ignore.

Finally he heard the Student Body President call for all nominees to walk up to the stage.  It was time to unveil the winners.

Once he reached the stage, he the eyes of his fellow students fall on him.  Dressed in a black suit, a silver shirt beneath highlighting the color of his hair, Sesshoumaru was striking.

The gym went silent as the President opened the envelope that held the name of the winner.

"This year's Homecoming King is…SESSHOUMARU!!!" At the sound of his name the gym erupted into a roar of applause and screams.

Sesshoumaru winced as the sounds pierced his ears.  At least he had won.

"Sesshoumaru" he heard the President say into the microphone "choose the lady you wish to dance with."  That startled him.  Usually it was custom for the Homecoming King and Queen to dance together, but apparently they had changed it this year. 

Sesshoumaru stepped off the stage and into the throng of screaming girls.  All were waving their hands madly in a desperate attempt to get his attention.  His eyes combed through the crowd, looking for a girl who would be suitable for him to dance with.  He almost thought his search was in vain until his gaze landed on the figure of a girl standing at the rear of the crowd.  She wasn't screaming or trying to get his attention, in fact it looked as though she was talking to another girl, both completely ignoring him.  

As he made his way through the massive crowd, the girl's features became clearer, he nearly smiled.  He had made his choice.

He stopped in front of the girl, the whole gym going quiet as they realized he had chosen.  

He bowed slightly and extended his hand to the shocked girl who wore the beautiful sliver and blue dress.

"Would you like to dance…Kagome?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The click of his heels on the marble floor echoed throughout the empty hall.  The office was empty; it usually was on Saturday nights.  

He walked briskly through the endless corridor until he reached the large oak door at the end.  His eyes darted nervously around the empty space making sure no stray workers were loitering about.

He walked into the office and closed the door behind him with a soft click.  He strode across the plush carpet and walked behind the intimidating mahogany desk that dominated the room.  Sitting himself in the leather chair he ran his hands along the desk's gleaming surface.

He closed his eyes and allowed the dream to take over; the dream where he was in control of this massive and powerful company, a dream where he sat behind this very desk.

T&T, that was the name of the firm he dreamed of running.  The name had long ago been shortened and even now very few knew the name that had originally graced the walls of the magnificent building.  He was one of those privileged few.

He had been there when the firm had been started, he had been there with Inu Taisho in the beginning and he had contributed much to the success of Tetsusaiga & Tenseiga.  A strange name for a law firm, he had at first objected, wanting it to be named after him, one of its founders.  But he had agreed to Inu Taisho's desire to name the firm after the two that had survived in his family for centuries.  The very unique nature of the name drew attention and brought clients out of curiosity.  Once their prestige was cemented and their standing in the law community unshakeable they had shortened the name.

It was still not enough for him.  His eyes narrowed in anger as he recalled his recent discovery.

He wasn't supposed to be there, Inu Taisho had not meant for him to find out that way, he knew that.  But he had found out all the same.

He had walked into Inu Taisho's office to drop off some paperwork on a case they had recently settled only to find a strange contract sitting on the top of his desk.  _Strange he had thought.  He was not aware of any changes in the company that deemed the necessity of a contract.  Naturally curious he had taken a look, hoping that perhaps this meant that he would finally be made the partner he deserved to be.  After all this time Inu Taisho was still the sole "partner" of the firm.  _

But the contract had not been to make him partner.  It had been a contract drawn up to secure only one thing, that T&T stayed in the family, the family of Inu Taisho.  He had been enraged.  The company would be passed on to the two sons of Inu Taisho, not to him, in the event of his retirement or untimely death.

His fury had been red hot and explosive, he had nearly ripped the offending piece of paper to shreds right there in a desperate attempt to destroy it.  But then his eyes fell onto one of the stipulations of the contract.  It said, that in order for the two brothers to inherit the firm they had to run it together.  No doubt it was a way for the elder to bridge the rift that had formed between the two brothers with different mothers.  It was then he had hatched his plan.

Manipulating the younger child, Inu Yasha, had been easy.  He had found a girl, paid her an extraordinary amount of money to seduce him and make him fall in love with her.  She had accomplished her goal…and then some.  But figuring out what to do with the pup's infatuation had been difficult.  The oldest son, Sesshoumaru, was a cold one.  As far as he could tell the boy simply had no weak points.

It had taken him nearly two months to uncover the one secret that would destroy him, the unnatural death of his mother, something he did not know about.  Ironically, the younger brother, Inu Yasha, was fully aware of the circumstances surrounding his half-brother's mother's death.  Household servants were also easily persuaded when money came into the picture.

That is where the girl finally came into play.  All she had to do was be in the right place, at the right time, with the wrong person.

Inu Yasha must have been shocked to come home to find his beloved naked, and in the bed of another, his half-brother no less.  Now Sesshoumaru had been innocent, he had not slept with the girl.  Indeed he had spurned every advance she made.  Imagine his shock when he awoke that morning to find the girl in his bed for no apparent reason.

Inu Yasha, always quick tempered, had blown up, throwing accusations at the brother who was calmly trying to explain.  But Inu Yasha would not hear it.  It had hurt him deeply, so he had done the only thing he could think of to return the pain.  He had revealed the secret Inu Taisho had so valiantly tried to hide from Sesshoumaru.

And that was how he had widened that ridge between the brothers, that was how he had made them hate each other.

His plan had worked beautifully; the brothers would never run the company because they would never do it if it meant having to work with each other.

He smiled into the dark room, a smile of pure evil and malice.

Soon this would all be his.

**Author's Note:  I have been bombarded with requests to make this story a Sess/Kag fic…So I have decided to make it one!  YAY!!!!!**

**Review Responses:**

**Silver-Blue-eyes:** ok ok ok already!

**Nankinmai:**  Well….I'm glad you finally realized it was me!...lol

**Guardian:** I know it is unkind to tease people….I am so sorry…but please keep reading anyways!...lol

**drea-chan**: **I FELT like running after I wrote that chapter!  Please don't pull your hair out….lol….thank you!**

**Divine Discontent: **THANK YOU!

**Sukera****: I updated just for you!**

**Sesshoumarus****-girl: I updated just for you! (and of course Sukera right above you…lol)**

**Wayfarer-redemption:** Here is another chapter for you!  Enjoy!!

**KyouFan17: **Thank you!

**Xelena****: You guess right!**


	5. Homecoming Part Two: Memories of the Pas...

**Homecoming Part 2: Memories of The Past **

She sparkled.  The light catching the glitter strands of her dress, making her shimmer and shine as she moved.  The teenagers in the gym whispered as the couple danced.  Kagome heard none of this and she didn't see the pairs of eyes that followed her every move.  All she saw was the one who held her in his arms.

_I didn't know he could dance._

As Sesshoumaru led her gracefully across the dance floor Kagome looked into his eyes, the golden orbs that fascinated her.  

_What happened to him?_ She absently wondered, his eyes were blank and unfocused, as if he was recalling something, replaying a scene from his past in his mind.  Something had happened to him, she knew that.  Something had made him cold; something had made him unable to laugh, unable to smile.

His hand moved, unconsciously bringing her closer, pressing itself more firmly on the bare skin of her back.  Heat radiated from his hand, his fingertips idly caressed her skin, sending pulsing waves of warmth throughout her body.  She resisted the urge to close her eyes with the weight of the desire, she resisted the urge to press her body closer to his, she wanted him.  But right now, as she looked up to his face once again noticing the faraway look he still held, right now he didn't see her.

Then suddenly the music stopped, she nearly sighed out loud.  Dancing with him had been wonderful; it had been beautiful, she was sad to see it end.  As she turned to walk away, prepared to enter reality once more, she was stopped as his hand refused to let go of hers.

She brought her startled gaze to his, watching as he snapped back into awareness and focused on her.  He looked down at the hand that still held her as if it were foreign to him.  Abruptly he let her go and walked away without a word.

Normally she would have stormed after him in anger, yelling at him for being so rude.  But in the moment before he turned from her she saw something.  A fleeting flash in his eyes, a subtle change in the golden hue, for a second she had seen what he hid so well.

Sorrow and pain.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sesshoumaru didn't mind the harsh bite of the cold wind.  In fact, he preferred it.  It helped clear his mind, helped chase away the ghosts that had come back to haunt him.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he turned around to take in his surroundings.  The track.  The only place he felt at home.  He had not meant to come here; his feet seemingly had a mind of their own and had brought him here, to the place where everything was so right, the goal so clear, to win.

He hadn't thought about the past in a long time, she had brought it all back, she had made him remember. She had looked beautiful tonight.  Dressed in a midnight blue dress that had made her eyes come alive.  Gone was the girl in the tank top and shorts sweating from a workout.  She had been replaced by a woman of ethereal beauty who moved with a quiet grace.       

But sometime in the middle of the dance he shared with Kagome he had drifted off, sometime after looking into the face of the girl who greatly resembled another the past had overtaken him.

That day three years ago had been explosive and painful; the climax to a story that had been building his whole life.  That woman of Inu Yasha's…she had merely been the catalyst, she had merely ignited the fire of hate that had been simmering beneath the surface for so long.

He had always been suspicious of the death of his mother; Inu Yasha's furious outburst only confirmed what he had been reluctant to accept.  Now there was no doubt, his mother had taken her own life, and left him behind.  In a way the lie his father had told him was true, she had died of an incurable illness, an illness that plagued her heart.  His mother had lost the love of her life to another woman and that woman had borne a child, Inu Yasha.

Sesshoumaru didn't hate his half-brother personally so much as he hated what he represented.  Inu Yasha had been borne from an affair that had killed his mother.  How was he supposed to get past that?  He couldn't, and he never had.

His mother had been so beautiful, so happy, and so loving.  It was no wonder that his ability to love had died with her death.  He had seen what love did to people; he had seen what it did to his mother.  It brought her torment and pain, it had broken her.  

Love was for fairytales and daydreams.  It wasn't logical or rational; it had no place in the real world.

He didn't believe in love.  It was merely a whimsical fantasy that was always out of reach.

But for a moment, as he recalled his body's reluctance to let go of Kagome at the end of their dance, for moment he wondered if he was wrong.

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kagome stood at the gate, unsure of whether or not she should walk onto the track.  He was completely oblivious to his surroundings; he was lost in his own world. 

For once he was unguarded, for once he was vulnerable.  The raw emotion on his face broke her heart, although she did not know why.  Something about the way he stood there, quiet, unmoving, and alone spoke to her and told her that beneath the frozen surface lay a heart that felt, a heart that was bleeding.

Kagome fisted her hands at her side in determination.  She would not leave him to face his demons alone as she was sure everyone else did.  She walked across the dirt lanes and stepped onto the center field, ignoring the wetness of the grass that froze her feet.

She tentatively reached out to touch him.  But in a sudden movement he turned around, as if he finally sensed that he was not alone, and grabbed her wrist before she could touch him.

Surprise flashed briefly in his eyes before his stoic mask fell back into place.

"What are you doing here" he demanded, his hand tightening on her wrist, clearly he did not appreciate her intrusion.

"I followed you out here" Kagome started "you seemed preoccupied when you left the gym; I just wanted to make sure everything was fine."  She finished, wondering how he would react to knowing that she was worried about him.  Just as the thought ran through her mind Sesshoumaru said

"I am not the one you need to worry about, at least I had enough sense to come out here with a coat." 

Kagome looked down at herself and nearly laughed.  He was right, she had been too worried about where he was going to grab her coat from the gym, and she was paying for that little oversight.  She was shivering and she had to forcefully clench her jaw together to keep her teeth from chattering.

_Why did I not notice how cold it was?_

Sesshoumaru merely raised an eyebrow at her newest act of stupidity.  He let go of her hand and, in one fluid movement, had his jacket off and on her shoulders.  It seemed Sesshoumaru was quite the gentleman.

The warmth of his body still heated the jacket and instantly warmed her.  It smelled of him, that smoky scent of autumn.  She lifted her head, ready to thank him, but he turned away form her and resumed his quiet vigil.  Staring off into the distance.  So she stood with him, silently letting him know that he was not alone.

They stood that way, neither speaking, neither moving until his soft voice broke the stillness of the night.

"Let's go" was all he said as walked away, leaving her to run after him.  She didn't know where they were going until they reached his car and he motioned for her to get in.  She climbed in and he drove off in the direction of her house.  The silence of the track carried into the car, it was obvious he did not want to talk.  Once they reached her house she got out of the car, watching as he sped away the instant her door had closed. 

Her gaze lingered until the lights of his car faded and disappeared.  

He hadn't told her why he seemed so upset, there was no big confession.  But she really hadn't expected it, that wasn't his style.  But she knew there was something there, and she was determined to find it.

Kagome stood just outside the door to her house; the cold wind not affecting her, she suddenly realized why she was so warm.

Pulling the lapels of the fabric more tightly around her Kagome smiled into the darkness of the night, she still wore his jacket.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Inu Yasha watched Sesshoumaru walk into the house from his window, minus his jacket.

Kagome had been with him, he knew that.  He had watched her follow him out of the gym after their dance.  Losing to his brother had stung his pride, but watching him hold the girl he had asked to the dance had been too much.

She had said no to him.  Granted he had not really asked her but still, he was Inu Yasha, every girl wanted him.  Every girl it seemed except for Kagome.  Pushing himself away from the window, Inu Yasha sat on the bed, his head in hands.  Deep down he knew he only wanted Kagome for one reason; he wanted her because of who she resembled. 

Her name had been Kikyou.  She was beautiful, smart, and everything he dreamed of.  But she had betrayed him.  He had come home one day to find the love of his life in the arms of his brother.

He hadn't meant to reveal the secret he had discovered in his youth, the secret he had not been meant to know.  His anger had blinded him, but it didn't matter.  Now they both suffered, they both lived with the unbearable misery.

It had always been a competition between the two brothers, who was better, stronger, and smarter.  And it always seemed that Sesshoumaru came out the victor.  He had won Kikyou and now it looked as if Kagome would become the next thing Inu Yasha would lose to his brother.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sesshoumaru threw himself down wearily on the bed.  His little trip to the past had been exhausting.  Although at the moment that wasn't what he was thinking about.

Kagome.  She had been worried about him, the concern in her eyes had been genuine and it had been strong.  He couldn't even remember the last time someone had been concerned of his welfare.

She was an enigma, a mystery wrapped in a deceptively innocent and naïve package.  She hadn't bombarded him with questions, she hadn't demanded an explanation.  She had merely stood there in silence with him, offering comfort in the only way he would accept it.

Her presence had a calming affect on him.  Her undemanding nature, her unbearably pleasant scent, flowers and rain, that wafted his way with the shift of the wind, she soothed him.

He had felt a sudden and powerful urge to tell her everything, to lighten the burden he had carried for so long…alone.

But then he had remembered, people don't stay, eventually they would leave, it was inevitable.  So he sped away from her as fast as could before the longing of his heart betrayed him.

But his heart was persistent, that night a pair of azure eyes haunted his dreams.

**Review Responses:**

**Sukera****: I'm just glad you were able to read it!  Thank you!**

**Sesshyangel****:  Actually….I think I planned on making it a Ses/Kag fic from the beginning…and yes Sess would make a GREAT runner!**

**Nankinmai:**  I know I know…angst is horrible…but I couldn't help it!  LOL…seriously the rest of your review is just plain funny!

**o7: **THANK YOU!!!!

**wayfarer-redemption****:  No need to bow…lol….here's the next chapter!**

**Divine Discontent: **THANK YOU!

**drea-chan**: **I thought the plot needed some thickening…**

**Sesshoumarus****-girl:  Well thank you!  I truly appreciate it!**


	6. Two Faces: A New Plan

**Author's Note: **I am sorry it took me so long to update.  Due to an extreme illness, the holidays, and the start of a new quarter of school I have been unable to work on this fic.  But now that things have settled down such long delays should not happen anymore.  Thank you to all those who reviewed and continually asked about the status of this story!!!  It's nice to know you guys care!!!  Keep reviewing and keep reading!!!!   Enjoy!!!

**Two Faces: A New Plan**

His dark black eyes fell on the girl before him with a measure of indifference and disgust.  He did not desire the beautiful creature who sat with such a quiet grace.  Her head was bowed slightly so that the raven length of her hair shadowed her face.  

Her face had never been important before, the color of her eyes, the delicate cheekbones, the creamy ivory skin, and the full rosy lips.  Before they hadn't mattered as long as she was able to accomplish her goal….his goal. But that had all been before her.

Kagome, that was her name.  He had hired a private surveillance team to keep an eye on the two brothers and apprise him of any new and relevant developments in their lives.  She was definitely a development.  A beautiful young woman who had managed to catch the eye of both the brothers, she could potentially become an irritation.

There was just something about her he had quickly learned.  The daily reports he received piqued his curiosity and compelled him to observe the curious creature himself.  Innocent and pure, those were the words that came to mind when he had watched her.  Naïve and blindly trusting, if there was anyone who could bridge the gulf that had grown between the two brothers it was this girl.  She did not know of the potential power she held, she didn't even have complete knowledge of the hate between them.

But she cared and she sympathized with the older brother's unknown demons.  He had watched them that night.  He had gotten the call from his team leader and immediately left the office to watch the two himself.  

Alone and quiet they had stood in the middle of that football field.  An uneasy bond had been created between trainer and trainee, between man and woman.  She wanted desperately to heal his wounds.  Her desperate desire to help poured out of her being, the sheer force of it making it almost a tangible thing.

She was dangerous.  She was dangerous because for a moment the ice of the older brother thawed, for a brief second it appeared as if he actually wanted her to heal him.  However, his stony façade had quickly been set in place as if realizing his momentary lapse.  But if she had the ability to thaw his frozen heart she would eventually melt it.

He needed that cold pain of the older brother and the furious hurt of the younger to fuel the hate between them.  

Without those flames burning wildly between them the fire would dwindle and eventually die and his beautiful dreams would die with them.  Something had to be done.

His gaze shifted once more to the woman who sat obediently in front of him. Indeed the features of her face had been trivial before, but now they were priceless.

Kagome and Kikyou, he was sure the connection had already been made in the younger brother's mind.  The girl had been useful before, and she would be again.

He reached out and placed his hand under her chin, raising her head up to meet him.  He watched the silky tendrils fall away to reveal her face and he smiled.

The day would come when he….Naraku…would have all the power.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

"So tell me what happened."

Kagome looked at Sango as a mischievous smile spread across her face.  She had been hounding her all day about her mysterious disappearance after her dance with Sesshoumaru.

"There's nothing to tell Sango, really"

"Sure, you guys were alone, on a football field for a couple of hours and then he drove you home.  Are you trying to tell me that in all that time _nothing_ happened?" Sango asked raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yes" _No._

Just as Sango was about to ask another question the bell rang.  "Oh I'm going to be late!" Sango yelled as she quickly grabbed her backpack and rushed off to her class.  "I'll talk to you later Kagome and this conversation is so not over yet!" She said just before she disappeared into a classroom.

Kagome sighed as she grabbed her own backpack and headed off to her first period class.  Quietly taking her seat, Kagome drifted off into her thoughts as the teacher because his lecture.

She had told Sango the truth, nothing had happened, at least not in the way Sango thought. But Kagome could not help but think that despite the silence a tenuous relationship had been formed.  In his own quiet way he had acknowledged her comfort even if he hadn't really accepted.

She wondered sadly if anyone had ever cared about him before.  If anyone had recognized the pain he was in and wanted to soothe him.  But that wasn't what really plagued her thoughts.

She had lied to Sango, something had happened.  She had been allowed to see the pain he was in, even if it was only briefly.

And that was a big something because she was almost completely sure that no one had ever seen the hurt in his eyes before.

~*~*~*~*~*

There she was.  Just as bouncy and cheerful as ever.  Sending him the occasional murderous look as she continued the rigorous practice he outlined for the day she acted as if that night had not happened.  

Of course neither did he.  But that was not the point.  He had expected her to come bounding up to him with endless questions and demanding explanations.  She was after all a very curious girl.  He had seen the questions in her eyes that night; he knew she was practically bursting with the need to ask.

So the reason why she refrained now he did not understand.  He certainly would not have answered any of her questions, but she still should have asked.  He ignored the small pang of disappointment her lack of curiosity.  He wouldn't have told her, never.

He was brought of his thoughts by a small, hesitant touch on his arm.  Looking down he realized that Kagome had finished her work out and was trying to talk to him.  His skin burned where her hand rested, he could feel every detail and he had feeling he would feel it long after its absence.  Supremely bothered by that idea, he yanked his arm out of her reach.

Her eyes widened in shock at his sudden movement.  He watched as the clear blue depths of her eyes darkened in hurt and filled with tears at his rejection of her touch.

The guilt was immediate and white hot as it flew through his body.  He instantly felt ashamed for such a childish reaction.  He slowly reached out and brushed a stray tear drop away with his thumb.  He was on the verge of apologizing when a solitary figure just beyond the track caught his attention.  The figure moved closer until the haze of distance sharpened and brought into clear focus her features.

His eyes narrowed in anger and flashed dangerously in barely restrained fury.  It appeared his past was coming back to haunt him.

Sesshoumaru unknowingly caressed Kagome's cheek before removing his hand completely and walking away.

Behind him both girls stood silently watching his departure, one wanted to rush after him and the other merely smiled.

~*~*~*~*~*

Kagome's eyes followed Sesshoumaru's departing figure for the second time in three days.  He had an uncanny ability to walk away from her when he seemed on the verge of revealing some great truth.  

She slowly raised her hand to her still tingling cheek.  If she closed her eyes she could recall, in vivid detail, how wonderful his fingers had felt on her skin.  There was tenderness in him, she was sure he was not aware of it.  But something had happened, something had caught his eye a moment before he was about to speak.  

Remembering the rage that had filled his eyes and hardened his face Kagome spun around, intent on finding what had caused such a dramatic and fierce reaction.

As she scanned the track her gaze fell on a young woman who stood isolated from the field.  The girl's hair fluttered gently in the wind and a small smile touched her face.

Kagome felt the air fly out of her lungs as she gasped in complete shock.  The girl's face, her face, it was almost the exact image of her own.

Who was this girl?  Who was this person who so greatly resembled her?

But more importantly, how was she connected to Sesshoumaru?


	7. Trapped! Inu Yasha Makes His Move

**Author's Note:  **I apologize for the delay of this chapter.  I know it took a long time to get out but I have unfortunately been experiencing a serious case of writers block for this story.  Add that to the fact that I had no idea where my story was going…the plot was sort of running away from me.  But reviews from some loyal fans inspired me to write this chapter so thank you to all who kept reviewing!!  Enjoy!!

**Trapped!  Inu Yasha Makes His Move**

Kagome ran hurriedly towards the History building.  Glancing at her watch as she raced through the empty campus she fervently prayed she would make it in time.  

_Please be there._

She had left her notes in class and they had a test tomorrow, without those notes she would fail and that was the last thing she wanted right now.  Rounding the corner she gave a silent thanks to whoever was listening when she saw her teacher locking the door.

"Mr. Yuu!  Wait!" She finally reached him, panting and out of breath she took a moment to calm down from her mad dash.  Kagome looked up as her teacher began laughing at her.

"Whatever has sent you running and screaming at me like a banshee must be important." He replied smiling in amusement.

Kagome suddenly wished she could just disappear, she was so embarrassed.  "I left my notes in class today, I was hoping to get them before you left."

"Of course, go get them, I'll leave the door open, close it on your way out, it's already locked."  He said opening the door for her.  "Good luck on the test tomorrow." And then, briefcase in hand and a stack of papers under his arm, he left.

Kagome sighed in relief.  She would be able to get her notes after all.  Major crisis averted.  She suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to dance in place.  But she suppressed it, barely.

She stepped into the welcoming coolness of the darkened room.  She had run straight from practice and it had been extremely hot today.  She frowned as she recalled how strained practice had been lately.  Ever since that day the mysterious girl had appeared Sesshoumaru had been quiet.  Granted he had never really been one to hold a conversation in the first place, but this was different.

She couldn't put it into words, she couldn't describe why it was different, but she just knew it was, she felt it.  Sometimes she would catch him looking at her with a barely leashed fury. 

And she would wonder if she had done something wrong.  It was strange really how her presence seemed to bring about this change in him, how her face seemed to incite such rage.

It hurt.

She shook her head as if to chase away the thoughts that plagued her.  She didn't have time for this, right now she had notes to find and a test to study for.  

Looking around the darkened room, she spied her blue spiral notebook lying underneath one of the desks.  At least someone hadn't stolen it or thrown it away.  Rushing over to it, she picked up her notebook and stuffed it into her backpack.  Zipping it up, Kagome turned, ready to leave.  As she made her way through the sea of desks a familiar voice broke the silence of the classroom followed by the audible sound of the door closing.

Kagome groaned, she could feel the beginnings of a very strong headache coming on as the features of the unknown intruder became clear.

She was trapped, locked in a classroom with the possibility of rescue far off in the distant future.

She was trapped, with him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Inu Yasha walked quietly through the deserted campus, enjoying the rare silence.  He liked times like these, times where he could just be himself without a pack of crazy love sick girls chasing him, he treasured the times when there was no pressure to act a certain way, to be a certain person.

His entire high school career he had strived for one thing, he had fought to achieve one goal.  Popularity.  Now that he had it he wondered if it had been the wrong goal, he wondered if there was something better out there for him than the tedium of high school drama.

He was bored.  Completely and utterly bored, tired of the same people, the same situations, the same everything.

But a pair of blue eyes had broken that dull cycle; one fiery temper had provided the spark he so desperately sought.

He was beginning to think he had been wrong, he was beginning to believe that he was drawn to her not because of who she resembled but because of who she was.

Only now when no one was looking could he smile at the thought of her, only now when no one was listening could he say her name without insult and without disgust.  

Only now cold he admit to himself that he wanted her, badly.

Walking by the History building, he was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed one of the doors was left open.  He glanced at his watch, 5:30, the teachers were usually gone by now.  Deciding to investigate, Inu Yasha walked over to the classroom, and noticing that the room was dark he assumed it had just been left open.  Grabbing the handle he went to close it when he noticed that someone was inside the room.

"Hey you!  You shouldn't be in here" he called out to the nameless student inside.  He stepped in a little further into the room, his hand still on the doorknob, hoping to discern the person's identity.  

As his eyes adjusted to the dark, the features of the student slowly became clear.  Long black hair, lean frame, and a pair of midnight eyes that seemed to glow in the surrounding darkness.  

Kagome?  Surprised, he inadvertently released his hold on the door, not even noticing when it shut behind him, sealing the pair inside.  What was she doing here?

Before he could open his mouth and ask the obvious question, her clear voice filled the room.

"Good job genius, now we're stuck in here."  She said dryly before flopping into a chair dejectedly.  Inu Yasha immediately grasped the doorknob behind him to test the validity of her statement.  

It wouldn't turn.  Great, he really was stuck in here with her.  He turned to look at the girl who had been plaguing his thoughts recently and despite the darkness he could see her, glaring at him.  

He had really screwed up this time.  She hated him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Why me?  Why did this have to happen to her?  Was she cursed?  Had she committed some unforgivable crime in her past life?

She was being punished.  She knew it.  The gods had a sense of humor, an evil one.  She didn't care so much that she was locked in a room, what she couldn't stand, what made the situation so unbearable, was being stuck here with him.

Inu Yasha.

Suddenly the room was plunged in light, making her wince at its sudden brightness.

"You could have warned me that you were going to turn on the lights" She told the arrogant boy.

"Too late now"

"Really?  Thanks for pointing that out Mr. Obvious."  With that sarcastic quip, silence once again took hold of the room.  The tension between the two growing as the minutes audibly passed by.

Inu Yasha still stood by the door, casually leaning against it, clearly bored with the situation and the company.  That was fine with her, she wasn't particularly thrilled either.  She would just have to make the best out it.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!  She would certainly like to take Inu Yasha and squeeze him dry, twist him mercilessly until he begged for forgiveness.

Kagome fought the urge to laugh at her new, and strangely violent, turn of thoughts.  Digging though her backpack, Kagome took out the notebook that had gotten her into this situation.  She might as well use this time to study since it didn't look like they would be leaving any time soon.

Maybe on of the janitors will see the light on and investigate.  Kagome cast one desperate look out the window, and seeing the still deserted campus she realized she just wasn't that lucky.

So she opened her notebook and soon immersed herself in the endless dates and places she had to memorize.

~*~*~*~*~*~

She was ignoring him.  She was sitting there, reading whatever filled those pages of her notebook and completely ignoring him as if he didn't matter.

He didn't blame her.  He had been a jerk.  But that didn't make it sting any less.  He was used to getting what he wanted, he was used to girls worshiping him.

But she didn't, and she never had.  From the first day he met her she had defied him.  He smiled at the thought of her yelling at him.  He liked it, enjoyed the fact that she wasn't afraid, loved the challenge she presented

The silence was grating, only broken by the hushed whisper of turning pages and the monotonous tick of the clock.  He was surprised she had been able to keep her mouth shut for this long.  Whenever he was around her it always seemed as if she were talking, yelling, arguing, anything, she didn't seem the type to keep quiet.

So he walked over to where she sat and stopped in front of her, folded his arms across his chest and waited.  He was purposely annoying her, her anger would prove to be a delightful distraction.

He enjoyed the way her hands tightened on her notebook, took pleasure in the way her whole body had gone rigid.  It was gratifying to know that he wasn't the only one affected, that he too had an impact on her.

Obviously frustrated, he watched as she whipped her head up from what she was reading, her cheeks flushed in anger, her eyes glowing with impatience.

"What do you want?" She practically yelled.

"Nothing" he replied, knowing that it would only infuriate her more.

"Then go away!"

"No."

"Why me?" she whined, as her head dropped to her desk.  "Why did I have to be stuck in a room with an idiot who hates me?"

The playful smirk he wore thinned into a frown at that statement.  Her despondent question brought to light just how badly he had messed up.  He wished suddenly that he could take that day back, wished that he could have brushed aside expectations and judgments and done what he wanted.

He hadn't been strong enough then, maybe he could be strong enough now.

"I don't hate you."  He said softly, almost a whisper.  But she heard him.  She raised her head once more to look at him, but this time there was no anger, only shock.

"You could have fooled me, or anyone else for that matter."  She didn't believe him and why should she?  He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say now, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to convince someone he spent several months insulting that he really did like them, a lot.

"I could never hate you."  Was all he could say, was the only thing he could think to say.  No excuses, no half hearted reasoning would make her believe him.  All he could do was tell her the truth.  It was up to her whether or not she chose to accept it.

"Let me guess.  All this time you have secretly liked me but you had to continue to pretend to hate me in order to protect your precious reputation."  She practically spat the words at him.

"Something like that."  Exactly like that.  Funny, he never realized how ridiculous that sounded until he heard her say it.  

Stupid.  He had been so incredibly stupid.  He began to laugh; the sudden need to laugh at his idiocy was overwhelming.  He couldn't suppress the chuckle that escaped his lips, nor could he prevent it from turning into full blown, side splitting laughter.

It was a wonderful thing, laughing at yourself.

~*~*~*~*~*~

He was insane.  She stood there, watching him laugh at some internal joke that she obviously wasn't privy to and she decided that the boy had lost his freaking mind.

What other explanation could there be for his sudden outburst?  She had been in the middle of a completely healthy angry rant when all of a sudden he had just started laughing.  It just didn't make any sense to her.  Not that anything he was saying was making sense.

_"I don't hate you.  I could never hate you."_  The words ran through her mind, what were they supposed to mean?  If he did indeed secretly like her, as she had so flippantly suggested, then he had a hell of a way of showing it.

Still completely confused over his antics, Kagome stood up from her desk and walked up to him.  She put one hand on his forehead, just in case.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?"  She questioned, because clearly he wasn't.  At the touch of her hand his laughter ceased, the amusement in eyes vanished and something else darkened his golden depths.  Something she didn't recognize. 

She started to pull away, intent on backing away from the sudden intensity she saw.  But it seemed he had other plans because he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him.  She looked up, wondering why he would do that, that turned out to be her first mistake.

She suddenly realized just how close they really were.  His breath was fanning her cheek, his parted lips were inches away from her own.  Her eyes widened when she finally recognized that look in his eyes, desire.

This was bad, this was very bad.  She opened her mouth to say something, anything that would get him to let her go.

That was her second mistake.

Because before she could form any words, his lips claimed hers in a bruising kiss.  His tongue delved into her mouth, boldly tasting her, and his hands moved possessively over her body, leaving warm tremors in their wake.  She melted against him, any protest she may have offered flew out of her mind the second she felt the velvety softness of his tongue and the instant his rough hand so carelessly brushed the side of her breast.

She had always imagined her first kiss to be slow, gentle, sweet.  A kiss given in the moonlight and under the stars, romantic.  That was what she had envisioned.  But she had never seen this, she had never imagined this fire that raged through her body, never imagined this burning heat that consumed her.

His hands fisted in her hair, angling her head so he could deepen the kiss.  She moaned at the new intimacy and struggled to get closer to that fire.

But the sound of jingling keys and an opening door brought her crashing back down to reality.  The sound of a man's voice ice water that snuffed the fire.

The couple sprang apart, or more accurately Kagome scrambled to put as much distance between herself and Inu Yasha as possible without tripping over one of the desks.

"You guys get locked in here" The elderly man asked, politely ignoring the activity he had interrupted.

"Yeah" came Inu Yasha's curt reply.  She was glad he has answered the man because she didn't think she could form a coherent sentence at the moment.

Inu Yasha looked over at her, she could still see the lust in eyes, the force of it and the remembrance of his touch made her tremble.

So she did the only sensible thing she could do at that moment.

She ran.

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